The Best Racing Games for 2026

The Codemasters-developed Dirt 5 hearkens back to the 1990s, a time when Colin McRae Rally and Sega Rally Championship elevated "extreme" racing games. Like those games, Dirt 5 isn’t concerned with realism or deep customization options; instead, the rally racer wants you to barrel your way to victory on winding, mud-covered tracks. While Dirt 5 isn’t entirely original, it succeeds in delivering a loud and colorful racing experience for those seeking a PC game packed with high-speed escapism.

Each sequel in Xbox Game Studios' popular racing series uses the previous title as a foundation, and Forza Horizon 5 continues the tradition. The fifth title in the racing-and-music festival has the numerous modes, fun atmosphere, hip music, and wild stunts you'd expect, but this time the additions and changes are more evolutionary than revolutionary. Longtime series fans will appreciate Forza Horizon 5's varied Mexico setting, ridiculously packed modes, and new features (the create-a-track EventLab, in particular). Newcomers will be wowed by the racer's many creative riches. In short, Forza Horizon remains the best racing game series, and Forza Horizon 5 is yet another example of why it's so beloved.

Horizon Chase Turbo is a simple game that focuses on boosting, weaving between rivals’ vehicles, and a unique gameplay angle: collecting gas canisters so that you don't run out of fuel. That said, the Aquiris Game Studio-published racing game's main hook is its visuals. It's a gorgeous game, though, admittedly, one that may not be instantly recognized as such due to its flat, polygon-heavy art style, which recalls 1990s racing games (but without jaggies, clipping, and other era-specific visual flaws). The graphics shift between pastel colors and cool, neon highlights, depending on whether you're driving during the day or at night. Insanely cool to look at and just as fun to play, Horizon Chase Turbo is a PC racing game that belongs in your library.

Hotshot Racing replicates 1990s-era, arcade-style driving competitions, with its pick-up-and-play control scheme and angular, low-polygon visual aesthetic. In many ways, the title, developed by Lucky Mountain Games (with an assist from the racing masters at Sumo Digital), captures the retro-racing vibe. Mostly. Although the brightly colored Hotshot Racing looks like a game from the Outrun era, it lacks the thrilling level design that makes many retro racers so memorable. That's not to say that Hotshot Racing isn't a good time; it most certainly is! Drift lovers will dig the powersliding-focused gameplay.

If you want a racing game that completely ditches realism in favor of pure imagination, pick up Lego 2K Drive. After all, it's literally about toy cars. Although not a totally open-world game, this arcade racer sets you free in a variety of large open zones. As you drive around these beautifully blocky worlds, you'll compete in races and other wacky events. Your Lego contraption can seamlessly transform between a car, an off-road vehicle, and a boat. Between the boosting, power-ups, and chaotic sense of speed, you'll feel out of control in the most fun way possible.

The Ridge Racer series may not carry Gran Turismo or Forza's swagger in the contemporary video game market, but the long-running franchise has a dedicated fan base that loves the drift-centric racing action. This entry, crafted by Bugbear Entertainment, brings a chaotic element to the familiar gameplay by adding environmental and vehicular destruction as you race for street cred in the fictional Shatter Bay. It's Ridge Racer gone full Burnout. The story is something you can flat out ignore—it's a racing game, after all—but the driving action is interesting and varied. Just play against human opponents if you wish to maintain your sanity.

Kart racing is a genre defined by wild, arcade-style driving, wacky power-ups designed to take out rival racers (or shield you from their attacks), twisty tracks, and cutesy characters. Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Collection is no different, except that you battle on land, and in the air and water. Oh, and it features an incredible cast of Sega characters, such as Sonic, Alex Kidd, B.D. Joe, and Beat. The game includes non-Sega characters, too, such as Wreck-It Ralph, flesh-and-blood human being Danica Patrick (the retired NASCAR star), and characters exclusive to the Steam version: Pyro, Spy, and Heavy from Valve's Team Fortress 2.

The Black Rock Studio-developed Split/Second has one of the best premises in racing game history. Framed around a fictional reality television program where in-game racers compete for fame and big bucks, Split/Second sees contestants triggering environmental chaos using super moves known as PowerPlays as they zip toward the finish line. It's immensely satisfying to discover that the helicopter that's been hovering overhead drops bombs on your opponents when you uncork a PowerPlay attack. Split/Second's merger of arcade-style racing and huge, environment-wrecking explosions forms a thrilling racer that will keep you hugging corners, jockeying for position, and downing jumbo jets well into the night. Unfortunately, Split/Second's servers are no longer operational, so you must race against others in local play.

With WRC 10, developer KT Racing celebrates 50 years of the World Rally Championship. In addition to new tracks and challenges, WRC 10 features classic races and cars from the event’s storied history, tight controls, and photorealistic vehicles and environments. This series entry isn't radically different from WRC 8 and WRC 9, but its minor improvements create a better overall title.